Chhetri, Chhangte power India to Intercontinental Cup title triumph
Bhubaneswar, Jun 18: Captain Sunil Chhetri, as is his wont, rose to the occasion with his 87th international goal as India won the Intercontinental Cup with a 2-0 victory over Lebanon in the final here on Sunday.
The other star of the summit showdown, Lallianzuala Chhangte, struck the evening's second goal to cap an impressive display as India enjoyed another clean sheet.
This is India's second title triumph in the tournament, following their win in the inaugural edition in 2018. North Korea won in 2019.
In the last leg of his career, the 38-year-old Chhetri found the back of the net in the 46th minute of the title clash, breaking the deadlock right after play resumed following a goalless first half.
Buoyed by the lead and backed by a near-capacity crowd at the Kalinga Stadium, India consolidated their position when Lallianzuala Chhangte, the provider of the first goal, found the target in the 66th minute, leaving the fans delighted and their 99-ranked opponents stunned.
In hot and humid conditions, both the teams had their fair share of chances in the first half but could not make use of them, just like the goalless stalemate they played out in an inconsequential match two days ago.
And while India had more possession of the ball -- nearly 58 percent -- the Lebanese had seven shots at goal as compared to three by the home team which again seemed to be lacking in ideas in the opponent's final third.
However, all that changed after the half-time break.
First a charging Chhangte surged into the box and cut it back for Chhetri, who calmly tapped the ball in past the Lebanese goalkeeper Ali Sabeh from close for the opener.
The goal was a result of an excellent build-up as Nikhil Poojary managed to slip in the ball through little space to Chhangte who then laid it for his inspirational skipper.
Their tails up after the opener, the Indians looked to press home the advantage and were rewarded with a second goal through Chhangte.
Having received a ball from Chhetri, substitute Naorem Mahesh Singh attempted to put it past the Lebanese custodian, who saved it but could not keep the ball with him. Off the rebound, Chhangte converted to double India's lead.
Not impressed with the effort of his wards, India head coach Igor Stimac gave a dressing-down to the players at the break.
"We were good in the first 10 minutes but then we seemed to have disappeared. I was angry and spoke to the players at the half-time break. We were very good in the second half but still lots of work need to be done to prepare up ourselves for teams like Australia (in AFC Asian Cup)," Stimac said after the win.
Earlier, the Blue Tigers started on a positive note and were on the lookout for goals but could not convert the few chances that came their way.
On the sixth minute, Ashique Kuruniyan was brought down inside the Lebanese box and the home team instantly appealed for a penalty but the referee was not interested, leaving even Stimac furious.
India found themselves in a spot when Lebanon tried to hit on the counter, but Ashique committed a foul, took a yellow card for the team's sake, and prevented the visitors from charging towards the India goal.
In hot and humid conditions, the teams needed two cooling breaks.
Meanwhile, with 87 goals to his name in 137 appearances, Chhetri continued to be the third highest goal-scorer among active players in international football, only behind Portuguese ace Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi of Argentina.
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No stubble burning now, why air pollution crisis in Delhi: Mann takes dig at BJP
Chandigarh (PTI): Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Monday slammed the BJP saying its leaders used to "defame" Punjab farmers over stubble burning and blame them for Delhi's poor air quality and questioned why is there pollution crisis in national capital despite no farm fires now.
Mann said that as soon as paddy harvest takes place, BJP leaders blame Punjab and its farmers for Delhi's poor air quality.
He said they used to claim that stubble burning by Punjab farmers causes Delhi's pollution.
Mann said at present, the Air Quality Index in major Punjab cities is between 70 and 130.
"At present, Delhi's AQI is between 450 and 500 and no smoke is coming from Punjab. But the situation in Delhi is worse. At least now they should agree that there is no role of Punjab for Delhi's poor air quality," Mann said in a video message.
Mann's remarks came on a day Delhi Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa apologised for the air pollution crisis in the national capital and acknowledged its impact on children's health.
Sirsa, however, asserted that it was the result of the policies pursued by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Delhi.
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Last month, the BJP had trashed the Punjab CM's previous claim that stubble burning in the state has no role in the high levels of air pollution in Delhi as "ridiculous".
Dismissing Mann's claim, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva had last month said it is certain that stubble burning is a "major" factor (for the air pollution in Delhi).
Meanwhile, Mann in his video message said, due to severe floods which Punjab witnessed this year, paddy harvesting got delayed, "despite this, many Delhi ministers had already started blaming Punjab".
"I want to praise Punjab farmers, NGOs and efforts of the Punjab government have also paid off in controlling stubble burning this time. The cases of stubble burning in Punjab have reduced by 70-80 per cent and this has been acknowledged by the Central Government and the Union Agriculture Minister," Mann said.
The CM further said that after paddy harvest even the wheat crop has been sown and now, there is no incident of stubble burning.
He said BJP leaders used to claim that Punjab's smoke from stubble travels to Delhi.
"Now, there is no stubble burning, but Delhi is facing very poor air quality. This proves that earlier too Punjab's smoke had no role for Delhi's poor air quality. Only accusations were made by the BJP to defame Punjab. At least now the Centre should praise the farmers of Punjab," he said.
"Meanwhile, Delhi's AQI is between 450 and 500, flights are being cancelled, and breathing has become difficult," said Mann.
He asked both the BJP government in Delhi and the BJP led Centre to address Delhi's air pollution, saying citizens cannot even venture out for a walk due to air pollution.
He also asked the BJP that Punjab should not be dragged into this political battle, instead, Punjab's farmers should be appreciated, and the Delhi and Central governments should focus on addressing Delhi's air pollution.
Mann further said that farmers of Punjab are 'anndatas' (food providers) and they meet the country's food needs, they should not be defamed.
